Category: Seminar News

It’s right around the corner! Is your travel arranged and hotel room booked? The Duro-Last® National Sales Seminar is being held Sunday, January 27 through Tuesday, January 29, 2013 in San Diego, California, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt.

The theme for this year is American Success Stories. At Duro-Last, we’re proud to be a company founded on the American principles of innovation, hard work, manufacturing know-how, and quality. We also know that we wouldn’t be where we are without the hundreds of roofing contractors whose successes have inspired more than three decades of leadership, and we invite all of them to come and share this experience with us.

During Seminar breakout sessions, conducted by Duro-Last subject matter experts, our contractors will get valuable product, marketing, and installation information that will help them to be more efficient and productive. Each session is designed around a topic that we have identified as key to our contractors’ success. Topics include: installation and layout techniques, a Duro-Last product review, OSHA compliance, web marketing, construction law contracts, and our new and improved spec generator.

One of our General Session keynote speakers Rick Barrera, Wall Street Journal Best Selling author of How To Design A Branded Competitive Advantage And Deliver Extraordinary Customer Experiences, will share components of his book including ideas on branding that will help all of our attendees generate new marketing ideas in 2013!

Our other General Session keynote speaker, Captain J. Charles Plumb, a 28-year retired veteran of the United States Navy, will share his experiences in achieving success despite being held captive as a P.O.W. for over 2,000 days after his plane was shot down in North Vietnam.

Our Seminar will culminate when we recognize our authorized contractors’ 2012 sales achievements, plus honor our Contractor of the Year at the awards banquet. This evening is a night where we celebrate the bond between our company and each contractor that sells and installs the Duro-Last roofing system. It’s recognition that we are more than a manufacturer for our customers and that these relationships are instrumental to the position we hold as leaders in the commercial roofing marketplace.

We’re looking forward to welcoming all our authorized contractors to the best three days in the roofing industry: The Duro-Last National Sales Seminar!

It’s that time of year again: Duro-Last® is finalizing plans for our 2012 National Sales Seminar, to be held in Clearwater Beach, Florida, Sunday January 29th through Tuesday, January31st.

This year’s Seminar theme is Beyond Boundaries. Going beyond boundaries is what Duro-Last is all about. Since our very beginning, Duro-Last has broken down barriers in the commercial roofing industry, through product innovation and the exceptional relationships we enjoy with our customers.

As in previous years there will be plenty of educational sessions, excursions, and of course the ever popular Roofers’ Challenge, that pits teams of contractors against each other in a contest of installation speed and aesthetics.

Our Seminar agenda always includes nationally-known speakers who deliver motivational presentations that inspire our guests to set and achieve goals, as well as improve their business operations. This year is no exception, and our featured speakers are Robert Stevenson and Larry Winget.

There will also be several interactive breakout sessions during the day, presented by Duro-Last staff.

We will recognize our authorized contractors’ 2011 sales achievements, plus honor our Contractor of the Year at the awards banquet. This evening is a highlight for all of us at Duro-Last, as we share the thrill of success with many long-time friends and new members of the Duro-Last contractor family. It will truly be a night to remember.

We’re excited about kicking off the year with our National Sales Seminar, and getting energized about taking our business beyond boundaries in 2012!

The 2012 Duro-Last National Sales Seminar will be held January 29-31, 2012 at the Hilton Clearwater Beach (Florida) Resort. Our theme will be “Beyond Boundaries,” and we are excited about hosting the world’s best roofing contractors for three days of learning, sharing, and celebrating.

An information and registration package is being prepared for mailing to all authorized Duro-Last contractors, and we will soon have more details available on the Duro-Last web site. Stay tuned!

When it comes to our National Sales Seminar, “good” just doesn’t cut it. Our theme for this year’s event was “The Best Get Better” and, by many accounts, was the best Seminar we’ve ever held.

Our recent event in Orlando was the largest gathering we’ve ever hosted at a Seminar – over 1300 guests representing almost 200 authorized Duro-Last contractors.

We were able to celebrate an excellent sales increase in 2010 – 6.6% over 2009. We reached this because of the extraordinary efforts of our authorized contractors. In 2010, 23 Duro-Last contractors had sales over $1 million each, led by Parsons Commercial Roofing of Waco, Texas. This was the fifth consecutive Seminar where we have honored Parsons as the Duro-Last Contractor of the Year. They exceeded the $7 million sales threshold for the fourth year in a row, and in 2010 surpassed $7.5 million – the first contractor to reach that level.

Contractor of the Year - Parsons Commercial Roofing of Waco, Texas

We introduced several new products, including our standing seam metal roofing line and our Duro-Fleece™ System.

Since our beginning, Duro-Last has valued community involvement, and for the second straight year our “Partners in Goodwill” program recognized contractors who have been active in making the world healthier, safer, and stronger. This year’s honorees were Tomkat Roofing of Streator, Illinois; Slagle Roofing and Construction of Finleyville, Pennsylvania; Roof Management of Farmington Hills, Michigan; Nohava Construction of LeMars, Iowa; and Kelly Roofing of Naples, Florida.

Our popular Roofers’ Challenge was back at this year’s Seminar. Thirteen two-man teams competed by installing a Duro-Last roofing system on a small deck. They were judged on accuracy, aesthetics, speed, and workmanship. This year’s winner was Roofing Plus of Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Roofers' Challenge Winner - Roofing Plus of Lawrenceville, Georgia

We were also excited to announce that the 2012 Duro-Last National Sales Seminar will be held at the Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort in Clearwater Beach, Florida, January 29-31.

Again, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation to all Duro-Last contractors who made 2010 a great year for all of us. Have a terrific 2011, and we’ll see you in Clearwater Beach next January!

The theme of the upcoming Seminar is The Best Get Better. It’s one of the most dynamic business events in the roofing industry, where “the best” wisdom, problem solving, encouragement, networking – and fun – will come together over the course of a jam-packed three days.

This annual event honors authorized Duro-Last roofing contractors for their sales achievements during the previous year, and provides a forum for the exchange of ideas that can improve business operations, gain product proficiency, expand market opportunities, and drive sales success.

Since our beginning, Duro-Last has recognized the value of community involvement. So once again we will be recognizing contractors who have been active in making the world healthier, safer, and stronger, in our “Partners in Goodwill” program. It will be our privilege to pay tribute to these exemplary citizens during our event.

The popular Roofers’ Challenge is back! Teams will have the opportunity to show off their installation skills and compete in this educational and fun event. Teams are judged on accuracy, aesthetics, speed, and workmanship.

Although ongoing economic challenges confront the construction industry, Duro-Last contractors continue to demonstrate a solid commitment to our business and to providing exceptional value and service to their customers. We take great pride in honoring them at this event.

Our theme for Duro-Last’s 2010 National Sales Seminar, Partners for a Strong Tomorrow, was, by many accounts, the perfect fit for this year’s event. At Duro-Last, we are extremely proud that the relationships we have with our customers are unlike any in the roofing industry.

Many of our contractor customers have been partnering with us since the beginning of Duro-Last more than 30 years ago. At our Tucson event, we were thrilled to recognize those companies who have won a decade’s-worth – two decades’-worth – or even more – of Duro-Last sales awards. With respect to business strength, all we had to do was look around the hotel ballroom to see the history of excellence represented there.

In 2009, 20 Duro-Last contractors had sales of $1 million or more – a remarkable achievement considering the state of the economy. Parsons Commercial Roofing from Waco, Texas, was our Contractor of the Year for the fourth consecutive year and topped the $7 million dollar level in Duro-Last sales for the third straight year. With this accomplishment, Parsons now has the most total sales of any Duro-Last contractor in history.

Duro-Last 2009 Contractor of the Year, Parsons Commercial Roofing

In the early years of Duro-Last, there were many days when we weren’t sure what tomorrow would bring. Then – just as now – we depended on the commitment and loyalty of our customers and independent sales representatives. And we have enjoyed tremendous sales growth throughout our history as a result.

A proverb says that a cord with three strands is not easily broken. When we consider our three strands – authorized contractors, independent sales representatives, and the Duro-Last corporation – the future looks like it will be filled with terrific tomorrows for all of us.

The Duro-Last 2011 National Sales Seminar will be back in Orlando – this time at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. We’re already in the planning stages to make next year’s event the best ever for our business partners: the world’s best roofing contractors!